Smyrna times., 1887-03-16
THAT BUNDLE.


town in which lived.
l called to see them the day after their
arrival. They were out, and left town
without returning my call, as they were
there but II day or two, and without see
ing me or any of my family. | thought
but little of the matter, though ! was
sorry to have missed them
\ month went by, and one evening, Just
at twilight, one of the ladies of the family
whom they had visited-whOm | will call
Smith for the sake of cOnVenience-came
in to see me, and said:
''Oh | only ran in for a minute! I've
been trying to come for Il month to ask
you why you never acknowledged the re-
ceipt of that bundle Mr.. Haven brought
over to you from Mrs. Bowen"
"What bundle?'' l said. 81 never had
any bundles. | never knew that Mrs.
Bowen sent me any bundle
why You must have it; you must for
get. Mr.. Haven sent it to you by the
Adams Express from New York as soon
as lie landed, and he has thought it very
strange that you never acknowledged it.
And he has got so vexed about it, and
thought it so rude Of you not to thank
him for bringing it to you that he wouldA't
ask about it until now, just as he is going
llbiilG uStlllg AOl llt wants W lCll MIS-.
Bowen you received it. ."
81 am awfully sorry I said; ''but you
know l couldn't very well write about
bundle never received and didn't know
had been sent"
"What was in the bundle?''
My curiosity was very great, and 1 lis
tened eagerly for her answer Visions Of
all sorts of beautiful things flashed through
my head-glOves, ,handkerchefs, stockings,
| perhaps even Il dress. Could it be II raw
ishing bonnet? | was all cars and all ex-
citement.
Miss IIavOn said she didn't know what
/ was in the bundle, but she said it felt like
silks or satins. 1t wasn't large bundle"
'Well, | said, now where under the
sun is that bundle?'
1T might possibly have gone to faith
er's, " my husband remarked.
lie had dropped his usually all absorb
ing evening paper and was listening to us.
Your father's2" / nearly shrieked.
"Dear me! if there is anything absolutely
detestabe it is to live in small town
and be the duplicate in name of your
mothcr-in-law with junior attached, which
all your friends forget and all your enc
mics as well. Our dinners have gone to
your fathers, and they have eaten them.
They have stewed our cherished small
purchases Of early Bermuda tomatoes for
salads, read my letters, been Mortified by
my bills, kept my dresses and bonnets a
week or 50 until they found they were
mine, and now they have got my bundle.
] wish''-and here 1 rose from my chair
to give emphasis to my words-''yes, l
do wish you had been named Nebuchad-
nezzar; anything but what you are
named. -
Yes, said my husband, lit is annoy
ing certainly; but you know even my
mother would hardly have kept bundle
, three months. On the whole, it couldn't
have gone there"
| felt stem reproof in my husband,
voice, and l took refuge in remarkinl
tartly:
well, what did you suggest it for?"
If you will wait, Mrs. Smith, - said ny
hushand. rising. I'm walk up to father.
an / jdst find out positively if the bundl,
went there or not If it didn't we mus
) inquire at the express Office. OF course i
VIII turn up"
50 he went OFF, and we sat and talked
7 until he came back, but when he did conn
, it was only to say:
) They don't know anything about an!
bundle"
We exclaimed and wondered, and sur
, missed for little while, and then my hus
band went down town and inquired at tn
express office. After he went Mrs. Smitl
explained to me that Mr.. Haven, in hi
E frequent trips across the Atlantic, had beel
! SO bothered by frequent applications from
] | friends to take over to America VariOu
' bundles, sometimes of dutiable goods whicl
= he was expected to smuggle, that he hat
G., TO-
all such requests from everybody, no matte
!. f-5.l whom they might come; but that m
s. .,r, not being aware of this fact haI
q ,cd him to take the small bundle 70
m2, and that he had gladly done so. Mis-
Haven had described the bundle to Mrs
Smith. 1t was about ten inches long b
five wide, and was done up in gray wrap
ping paper, and was fully addressed
, mc-state, city, street and number Mis-
f Haven remembered the bundle vividly
4 because when Mrs. Bowen had sent wOr
that it was small bundle, she judge
= that it might perhaps fill up a quarter c
= Il trunk Of ordinary size, and so ha
= packed one of her trunks with referenC
Il to it, and was delightfully."- surprised whe
S she found tina. from her point of view
r really was n small bundle. 1t was tn
e only bundle they brought over not the
e own. They had brought over two or thrt
f gifts for friends, and all had been ser
e away at the same time from the Hot,
v Brunswick in New York.
4 Here seemed clew that l eagerl
e caught.
"It may have gone as n gift to one
those friends who just acknowledged y
ceiving their beautiful present, etc, an
!. didn't specify what article had been T.
c ceived," | said.
;, "But," said Mrs. Smith, ''the bund
e was addressed to you. They nev,
e changed it at all, but just sent it off. ~
II ''Wcll," l said, "then the express con
IT pany has mislaid it or lost it, but
II would be a real comfort to me to knO
70 what was in that bundle"
Write to your sister and find out,
= = said Mrs. Smith.
u brilliant idear' l sat down to II
le desk and wrote two letters, one to my 81
n ter in Paris, saying that | had just learnC
that she had sent me n bundle by NJ
Haven, and that it had never reached IN
l. As | wrote it occurred to me that she hi
le intended the gift as surprise, and tn
he was the reason l had not known of
r All this | wrote, and begged her to answ
is me at once. This was Monday night, al
- / was going to New York the next da
% Mr.. Haven was to sail for Havre on d
l., next day but one | wrote note to NJ
y Haven, who was to return alone, statil
~ the facts about the bundle; that deep
regretted to know that he had thought n
remiss in acknowledging his kindneS
IN etc; and added that the next day W
- going to New York and would be at 4
- BrevOOrt house, and that il he had time
10 would be glad to see him there before
IN sailed Both letters were mailed tn
re night.
Id My husband came home, and said {
ne express Office was shut up, and that end
re that question.
Tho next day when l reached the 81
WORT l found note from Mr.. Have
Unfortunately, l destroyed it that eve
% ing when answered 1t, for the note tn
ed seemed to be of no consequence, and 81
MS, can give the substance only. 1t said th
N Mr., Haven was very sorry to learn from
aie letter that he had just received from
y friend in Hartland that / had never
ceived the bundle; that it had been sc
from the Office of the Hotel BrunswiC
e1 and that he himself had handed the paC
nu age to the clerk. He also stated that
a clerk to whom he had given the packa
les had left the hotel, but the one in char
of had assured him that no package of q
kind was ever sent by them to any expr'
company without a receipt being take
=, and that he would look it up.
N. Haven added that he regretted Il
ny some important business matters p
~ vented his either looking up the mat